The Elven Couple
by Rointheta
Summary: The Doctor and Rose return to the Christmas planet and spend Christmas Eve with a Cringlelingeringelingian family that assumes they're not only elves but also a couple. Christmas fluff!


_This is the fourth fic in my 2013 Advent Calendar!_  
**prompt**: "christmas on a christmas planet"  
**prompter**: anon  
**beta**: resile  
**note**: Sequel to _Under the Mistletoe_

* * *

**THE ELVEN COUPLE**

* * *

Rose adjusted the sarong tied around her hips, moved the sunglasses resting on top of her head down to her nose, and grinned at the Doctor, running down the ramp with a delighted 'wee' and flinging the doors open. Ice cold winds slammed into her and lifted the sarong, baring her thighs, and she recoiled with a shriek as the door shut of its own accord.

"Landed in the wrong place, Doctor? Or were you planning on us bathing in snow instead of sun?"

"Ah. Oops?" he said, wide grin on his face.

She gave him a good-natured eyeroll. "Where are we, then?"

"Let me see…" He reached inside his suit jacket and plucked out his glasses, putting them on as he leaned closer to the monitor. "Oh, would you look at that! We're on Cringlelingeringeling!"

"Cringlelinge– Oh!" She snapped her fingers. "That's the Christmas planet, yeah? With those really tall aliens? Oh, and you got so plastered and you were so grumpy and I ki–" She bit her lip and averted her eyes, angling her head so that her hair fell over her warm cheeks. "Where they all thought you were Father Christmas and me and Jack were your elves."

"Yep."

"So…" She fiddled with her earring, keeping her eyes at the door. "Are we staying?"

"If you like."

"Yeah. I liked that planet. I mean… It was fun. Did you have…fun?"

"Yes. Well." He paused and she dared to shoot him a glance, watching him tuck his glasses back into his pocket. "I'm not having any kissing under the mistletoe this time. That's for sure."

"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, it's a silly tradition, really. I'm sorry, Doctor. I don't–"

"I meant the drink, Rose. Kissing Under the Mistletoe. Green, frothy thing. Made me a bit…_giddy_. Remember?"

"Oh, right. Yeah, no. I'd forgotten the name." She smiled. "Giddy? So that's what you call it?"

He sniffed, the corners of his mouth tugging upward. "Sploshed?"

"Yeah, that's more like it," she said with a chuckle. "Anyway. I better change. Be back in a tick."

* * *

.

* * *

They'd landed in the outskirts of the capital and took the long stroll to midtown, Rose's mitten-clad hand in the Doctor's bare one. She'd wrapped a pink scarf around her neck, and put on a matching hat and sturdy boots, but he wore the same clothes as always. Her eyes drifted over him, taking in the red tips of his nose and ears, the rosiness of his cheeks, and how he sniffed every now and then.

"Doctor? Are you cold?"

"Nah. Superior physiology."

"But… You're always in layers and… Are you a bit more sensitive to temperature in this body?"

"Nah."

She pulled of her mitten and touched his hand, shaking her head at him as she felt the chill of his skin. "Why didn't you wear something warmer?"

He shrugged. "Didn't think it would be an issue. And I'm fine. This is nothing, Rose. It won't have a negative effect on my body."

"But are you comfortable?"

"Oh, look at that! Peppermint candy floss! And it's striped! I want peppermint candy floss. C'mon."

He grabbed her hand and tugged her along as he ran down the street, but Rose wrapped her other hand around his wrist and pressed her heels into the ground. They tumbled backwards and her arms went around his waist, her cheek pressing into his back. He cleared his throat and took a large step forward, turning around to face her, eyebrows raised, eyes twinkling.

"Rose? What are you doing?"

"We're finding a shop so we can buy you a scarf and mittens and stuff."

"I have a perfectly good scarf in the wardrobe room."

"So, are we going back to get it?"

"Nah. The TARDIS is an hour away by now. I'm fine."

She sighed. "No, you're not. We're finding a–" She looked around, eyes flickering between signs hanging from the facades of the pastel coloured buildings around them: a pretzel, a candy cane, a pair of golden scissors, a beer stein, and there, a few blocks ahead, a mitten. "Perfect! We're going over there and getting you something to wear!"

He grumbled a bit, but let her lead the way and pulled the large, heavy door open for them to step into the shop, a bell signaling their arrival to the shop keeper behind the counter. She looked up from her work of folding knitted cowls, smiling and waving at them.

"Happy Christmas! Welcome to the Knitted Mitten."

"Happy Christmas," Rose said. "This might sound a bit weird, but what day is it? So hard to tell how close it is to Christmas on this planet."

"Oh, it's Christmas Eve! Anyway, I'm Sigrid. Looking for anything in particular? A gift perhaps? Late shoppers? We have those even on this planet, you know?" She winked.

"No–"

"Yes, actually," Rose said, giving the Doctor a pointed look. "He needs a scarf, a hat–"

"What?!" The Doctor frowned. "No. Not a hat."

"Yes, a hat. Your ears are almost falling off, Doctor."

"You should look at the child section of the shop, since you're so small. Wait." Sigrid gasped, giving them a lookover. "Are you guys _elves_? My friend told me about this one time when she was a kid. Apparently, Father Christmas came here!"

"Uhm, ye–"

"I'm definitely not wearing a hat, Rose. I _refuse_ to wear a hat."

"Okay." Rose gave Sigrid an apologetic smile, and turned to the Doctor, grinning. "What about earmuffs, then?"

"Earmuffs? Earmuffs!" His eyes lit up, dancing over the room until he zeroed in on something in the back of the room. "Oooh!"

"Really?" she said to his back, as he rushed across the floor. "Okay…"

She followed him to the rack full of earmuffs, smiling at him running his fingers across the headbands until he found his perfect pair: fluffy and brown, in the exact shade of his suit. He put them on, tilting his head from side to side, admiring his reflection in the wall mirror in front of him.

"How do I look? Stylish, huh? Huh?" he said, nudging her with his elbow and waggling his eyebrows.

"Yeah… It's _adorable_."

"Adorable." He crinkled his nose. "Really? Good-adorable, or bad-adorable?"

"Uhm… Good? I think?"

"Yeah? Think I should get them?"

She smiled and nodded. He beamed and darted over to a stand full of long scarves, finding a soft, blue one he wrapped three times around his neck before bouncing over to a bin full of mittens. Sigrid walked up to them, announcing her presence with a soft clearing of her throat.

"Hm?"

"Pardon me, but I couldn't help but notice that you were holding hands."

"Ehm. Yes. Yes, we're… We-we hold hands. At times. When we walk and…run." He sniffed and cocked his head, eyebrows raised. "You know."

"Yes." Sigrid smiled. "The reason why I ask, you see, is because we have these special mittens. For couples. I have them behind the counter. Would you be interested in having a look?"

"Ehm…" The Doctor opened and closed his mouth a few times, blinking and looking at the ceiling.

"What d'you mean 'for couples'"? Rose asked.

"Oh, they're such fun! And so fun to knit! Instead of buying two pairs, one for you and one for him, you buy triplets! And the third is a little bit bigger, so you can still hold hands _inside_ the mitten. Wait, I'll show you." She scurried behind the counter and pulled out a box, rummaging through it. "Ah, here we are. Brown and pink triplets. I'd assume that's what you prefer? See. One brown, one pink, and one half-and-half."

The Doctor and Rose looked at each other, jaws slack, eyes round.

"Let me help you." Sigrid walked back to them, pulled on a mitten on the Doctor's left hand, one on Rose's right. "Hold out your hands, please."

The Doctor raised his eyebrows and Rose shrugged and held out her hand, smiling. He did the same. Sigrid helped them put on the double-cuffed mitten and they clasped hands inside it, fingers weaved together.

"See? Now you can hold hands and still be warm! Isn't it neat?"

"Yeah. D'you make these yourself?" Rose asked.

"I sure do. Me and my family. Everything in this shop's hand knitted."

"They're lovely. A great idea!"

"Yes, they're very popular. A little bit too popular, if you catch my drift. It's why I keep them behind the counter. So, should I ring it all up?"

"I…" Worrying her lip, Rose squeezed the Doctor's hand inside the mitten. "It's a bit silly… Innit?"

"Weeeell… We're rather silly, though, aren't we?"

She chuckled. "Suppose."

"And we do hold hands a lot."

"Yeah, that's true."

"So, really, the only practical thing to do, would be to buy the triplet mittens."

"And the scarf and the earmuffs."

"Exactly."

"Can I ask you something, though?"

"Ehm, sure…"

"Why did you get so excited about the earmuffs?" She grinned, tongue poking out between her teeth.

He breathed out in a smile. "Earmuffs are brilliant! My head doesn't really get cold, but my ears do! Now I don't need to get all sweaty and itchy just to protect my ears. Can't believe I've not thought about this before!"

"So, your hair's got nothing to do with it, then?" she asked, reaching up and ruffling it.

"Oi!" He smoothed back his hair into his usual 'do, frowning at her, before turning to Sigrid. "How much?"

"One hundred and ninety six credits, please."

They paid and headed back out to the street, giggling as they swung their joined hands between them. The Doctor led them straight to the small stand with peppermint candy floss and bought one of the larger sizes, whilst Rose, who needed something more filling, chose a cone full of candied popcorn in all the colours of the rainbow. Crinkling her brow, her eyes drifted between her treat, and their hands, warm and toasty inside the woollen mitten. She huffed.

"What?" he asked, mouth full of floss.

"I don't want… Oh, I know." She snaked out her tongue, nudging it against the popcorns to make them stick, and scooped them into her mouth, chewing with enthusiasm.

The Doctor grinned at her and waggled his eyebrows. "Ah. Clever!"

"Yep!"

"What do you want to do today?"

"Oh, dunno. I'm a bit sad that we won't ride the sleighbell train, though. I really enjoyed that."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. It goes so fast! And there were carolers, and free ginger snaps with tea, and those fun little arcade games inside the table! That was so cool. Mickey would've loved that."

"We could go for a ride, if you want."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Let's go to the train station."

"Oooh, I know why you wanna do that."

"Ehm… You do?"

"Yeah. That hot chocolate. Am I right?"

"What hot chocolate?"

"You know. You were feeling really poorly and then you had some hot chocolate and it was like someone had waved their magic wand over you, or something. Uhm, trigo-something. It had trigo-something."

"Ah." He nodded, eyes locked at his feet moving over the snow covered street. "Yes. Yes, I remember."

"Doctor, I–"

"Rose!" They stopped, turning in the direction of the unfamiliar voice calling her name. A pale blue, apron-clad Cringlelingeringelingian ran toward them, long, polka dot scarf flowing behind her. "Rose!" She leaned forward, holding up her finger in the air as she caught her breath. "Phew! I saw you from my kitchen window," she said, waving behind her. "I'm making dinner, but I just couldn't give up the chance to speak to you again."

"Uhm…" Rose looked at the Doctor, but he shrugged and shook his head. "I'm sorry. Have we met?"

"Oh." The woman gave out a breathy chuckle. "You wouldn't remember me. We've not seen each other in years and years and years. I was one of the children in the orphanage."

"Oooh. Really?"

"Yeah." The woman smiled, pinched her skirt and held it out, curtseying. "I'm all grown up, now. And look at you. You've not aged a day!"

"Oh, she's aged several days since we were here."

"You were with them?" The woman considered the Doctor for a second. "I don't remember you and, trust me, I'd remember. It's not every day you see an elf!"

"We trust you– What's your name?" Rose asked.

"Lisabet. My name's Lisabet. I was in the clinic. Cinnamon fever. Worst three months of my life, but then you showed up! You spent an hour there. I don't know if you–"

"Yeah, I remember. Were you…" Rose knitted her brow, inspecting the woman's features. "Lisabet… Betty? Pigtails? And like…" She waved her hand over her face. "Some rash?"

"Yes! Oh, my silver bells! You remember me." She fluttered her ears. "No one's called me Betty in ages! So… I don't mean to be rude, but… Is he here? Father Christmas."

"Oh, no. No he…uhm… He's back home. In the North Pole."

"Ooh, I see…" Lisabet eyed them from their head to their feet, lingering at their hands. "You fell in love! You fell in love and left him."

"Uh…?"

"Good for you! I saw how you looked at him, you know. We all did. We…" Lisabet giggled. "We got an _hour_ with you. All to ourselves. Saw you in a whole different way than the kids lining up to sit in Santa's lap. We asked them, you know. Needed as much information we could get when we were gossiping. Me and my best friend were twenty four; you know how kids are at that age. Oh, we talked and talked about how Santa and the blond elf were in love and how heartbreaking it was, because Father Christmas belongs to the universe, not to a single elf. We just couldn't resist the tragic love story!"

Rose swallowed. "What?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." Lisabet hid a gasp with her hand. "I didn't mean to– You've found someone, now. It was insensitive of me to bring that up. I'm just so excited! I've thought about you so much, you know. That was the best day of my entire childhood." Lisbet's eyes teared up and she shook her head. "Oh, look at me. I'm so silly. I'm _happy_ for you, Rose. You were so kind. You deserve to be in love with someone who can love you back."

"Yeah. Thanks." Rose slid her hand out of the mitten and the Doctor's grip, busying it by propping her mouth full of popcorn.

Lisabet smiled at the Doctor. "So, what's your name?"

"Eeer. John."

"Oh, nice to meet you, John. So, Rose… Oh, I'm being rude again, but… I'm a mother, now, and my children would just _love_ to meet two real life elves. Even though you've left Santa. I'm sure they would have a million questions for you, and… Honestly, I think you're quite the role model."

"What?"

"You see, I have daughters. And I want them to meet strong women who follow their own heart and go for what they want. What they deserve! Would you two like to join us for dinner? I live just a few minutes away."

Rose's stomach had flipped several times during the conversation, and now it felt as though it was sinking all the way down to her toes. She licked her dry, sugar coated lips and stared into nothing, racking her brain for something to say.

"I'm sorry." Lisabet's face turned purple. "You're busy. Of course. Of course you are. It's Christmas Eve, for peppermint's sake. That was silly of me. I'm so sorry. I'm not gonna bother you anymore. I'm glad you seem happy and it was nice meeting you again and I'm so sorry for–"

"Of course we'll come." Rose smiled. "I was just trying to remember our schedule. But we have time. Don't we, D– John?"

"Eer… Yep."

"Really?" Lisabet smiled, ears fluttering again. "Oh, I just need to tidy up a bit! The house is a mess. We're preparing, you know? My husband's family is coming into town tomorrow morning for the celebration. They're always late! I tell them, _every year_, I tell them, please come a few days before Christmas. But do they ever listen to me? No!" She let out a nervous chuckle. "Uhm. Just… Give me a few minutes. Ten? Yes, ten. I live right over there," she said, pointing behind her. "Dark blue house, white roof, red door. Can't miss it." She rushed off, stumbling as her feet got caught in her scarf, straightening up right away and turning around, smiling at them with a flushed face. "I'm all right! I'm okay! See you soon."

"Wow. She's excited," Rose said.

"Yeah."

"Is this… I just couldn't say no. You saw how happy she was."

"No, I understand."

"Is that-is that all right?" she asked, teeth sinking into her bottom lip, fingers twirling a strand of her hair.

"Yep."

"We don't… We could tell– I mean, we should probably say that we're not… you know."

"Yeah." He nodded a few times, then split into a smile. "But think about the poor children, Rose."

"What?"

"Thinking you've left your fruitless relationship with Santa to settle down with another elf to have a litter of elf babies–"

"Do elves have litters?"

"Yes, of course! Usually five or six little elf babies at a time."

"Elves are _real_?"

"Yeah. Don't look much like we do, though."

"Then why does everyone think we're elves?"

He chuckled and pointed at a toy shop window to their right displaying a winter wonderland with Santa bringing his elves to an ice skating pond. "Look at that. Look at how they portray Father Christmas. All the people on this planet are in different shades of green and blue. But they've adopted these customs from you lot, so the elves are different shades of pink, beige, and brown. Just like humans. And Santa? He's blue-eyed. There's not a single person on the whole of Cringlelingeringeling that's blue-eyed."

"Oh. And we're really short to them!"

"Yep."

"Should we start making our way over there? We can walk really slowly."

"Sure." He smiled and held out his hand, tugging the cuff of the mitten open and nodding at it. "Allons-y?"

"Yeah. No!"

His smile faded. "No?"

"Gifts! We need gifts! For the kids?"

"Oh! Ah, yes, of course. Gifts!"

"What do kids want?"

"You're asking _me_? At least you've been a kid."

"You've never been a kid?!" she asked, eyes wide open.

"Of course I've been a child, but not, you know, a _kid_."

"Yeah, that clears it up."

"No, I mean." He sighed. "You know what? We're standing right outside of a toy shop. Let's just go in and ask for help."

* * *

.

* * *

They arrived at Lisabet's house fifteen minutes later, excuses about being late on their lips and several bags full of gifts in their hands. Not knowing the number of children, nor their age, they'd gone full out and bought a little bit of everything. Lisabet and her husband gasped out in surprise, beaming as they ushered in their guests and showed them the Christmas tree in the sitting room. Their three daughters skipped around them, trying to sneak peeks, and squeeze and rattle the parcels as the Doctor and Rose placed the gifts underneath the tree.

"Girls, behave!" Lisabet gave them firm looks, before turning to her guests with a smile on her face. "I hope you're hungry! I don't know what elves eat, but… I… Oh, I hope it's edible for you."

"I can eat practically anything. Rose has a sensitive stomach, though. She's from a weaker branch of the elf tree."

"Elves grow on trees?" the youngest daughter asked, slipping her hand into Rose's as they walked to the kitchen.

"No, he's just talking funny. Don't listen to him," Rose said. "And I'm much tougher than he is."

"Yeah. That's what I thought," the girl said and stuck her tongue out at the Doctor.

"So…" Rose patted the plaid cotton covered, padded seat of the kitchen chair, grinning. "Got a ladder?"

"Oh, dear." Lisabet looked at the chairs, at the Doctor and Rose, and back at the chairs again. "This won't do." She sighed, tapping her chin and staring into open space. "Oh, I have an idea!"

She vanished into a door at the far end of the kitchen and came back a few minutes later, panting, indigo splotches on her cheeks, and a high chair under each arm.

"This might seem a bit… I hope you don't mind. I don't mean that you're babies. Obviously you're not, but–"

"It's okay." Rose smiled. "We're used to it. Not this exactly, but we've visited so many different planets–"

"With Santa?" the eldest of the girls asked.

"Yes, with Santa. And without. I used to travel with him when he, uhm, delivered all the presents. But now that I– When John and me– Well, we still travel."

"Father Christmas was kind enough to share his Santa science with us," the Doctor said. "He built us a travelling machine. Takes us all over space."

"Like his sleigh?"

"Well, close enough."

"Wooooow."

"So. Everything's done!" Lisabet gestured at the high chairs positioned at the table set with dinnerware and serving platters full of steaming food, mouthwatering smells wafting from them. "Let's get seated?"

Rose laughed. "My question about the ladder still stands, though."

"Right! So sorry. Where are my manners today?"

"Mom, you never have manners."

"Hush, you." Lisabet shot them a toothy grin. "I have a step ladder. One second!"

A few minutes later, they all sat down at the table, utensils in their hands, and mouths full of food. The children focussed their spray of questions at Rose, who answered them as best as she could. Besides helping her with a detail here and there, the Doctor conversed with Lisabet and her husband. Once their host served dessert, the children had grown restless, and bounced from the table to watch telly, and Rose breathed out in relief.

"Blimey, they're energetic! My throat's sore, now," Rose said, grabbing her glass for a sip of wine.

"I'm sorry! They love company. And elves! Elves!"

"No, no. It's all right. It was fun. I'm just a bit overwhelmed. I've not…" She scooped up some iced chestnut ripple cheesecake from her plate with her spoon. "Since I left Santa I've not been in contact with children as much."

"Oh, of course. How did he take it?"

Rose swallowed the bit of dessert she had in her mouth. "Sorry?"

"You leaving him. Or is that too nosey of me?" Lisabet looked at her husband, who patted her hand. "I'm always so rude. Words just spill out of me, and– I'm sorry. You don't have to answer–"

"Oh." Rose shifted in the high chair. "Uhm… He–"

"Father Christmas understands that his elves can't always stay," the Doctor said. "And if they have to leave, for whatever reason, be it settling down or just…moving on, finding something else, something better… He's happy for them." He glanced at Rose. "You know that, right, Rose?"

"I… Yeah."

"That's good," Lisabet's husband said. "He's such a generous man, Father Christmas. We love him so! I have to admit, though, that I never really believed Lisabet's stories about meeting the real Santa and his elves, but now… I'll never doubt you again, my love," he said, pressing a kiss to his wife's temple.

Rose looked at the Doctor, but he'd directed his focus at his plate, scraping it clean and licking the frosting and crumbs off the spoon.

"Thank you so much," she said, smiling at Lisabet. "This was lovely. D'you need help cleaning up?"

"What? No, who'd ever heard of such a thing? Guests cleaning up?" Lisabet laughed. "No, you can join the children and start opening their presents. We usually open them on Christmas morning, but since you're not staying the night… Or are you staying the night?"

"No. We should be going soon. We-we need to get going soon. We're…" The Doctor turned to Rose, brow furrowed.

"Judging. A contest. A Christmas…"

The Doctor hummed. "Brew contest. Yes. A Christmas Brew contest."

"Beer?" Lisabet asked.

"No, tea. Elves love tea," Rose said. "A cuppa a day keeps the doctor away, we always say."

"Ooh, I quite like that!" The Doctor beamed, tilting his head back and forth, but then his smile slipped into a frown. "Or. No. What d'you mean 'keeps the Doctor away'? Why would you want to–"

"I wouldn't! It's just an old elf saying. He's not from around the regular elf parts of…the…universe? He's from another planet. He's an alien elf." Rose laughed. "An alf. Ha! You're ALF. I mean, you do have the," she gestured around his wild hair, "but he's ginger, though, isn't he?" She tutted. "Oh, D– John, you could've had it all…"

The Doctor opened his mouth to retort, but before he'd gotten a word out, Lisabet's husband asked, "Pardon, but is your name John or D'John? Sometimes it sounds as though…"

"Oh, it's John."

"I just call him D'John 'cause… It's a pet name! Yeah. Elves add a D. Uhm. As a term of endearment thing."

"Yeah." The Doctor slung his arm around her shoulders. "I call her Drose."

Rose scrunched up her face. "Drose?"

"Oh, yeah. Drose. Drose, my pet. My dove. My…lovely Christmas angel."

"You're not calling me Drose."

"Oh, there now. Let's not have a domestic in front of our hosts! Let's climb out of these things and watch the children unwrap their presents instead!"

Rose shot him a dirty look, but nodded and swung herself out of the chair with ease, making a stuck landing on the floor, grinning from ear to ear at his slack jaw and round eyes.

"Top that, _D'John_!"

"I keep forgetting that you're a gymnast!"

"Oh, you're a gymnast?" Lisabet winked at the Doctor. "That must be fun, huh?"

"Ehm…" He tugged at his ear. "I suppose?"

"You _suppose_?" She laughed. "You're not the adventurous type, I–" She shut her mouth as her husband elbowed her in the side. "Oh, sorry. Was I–"

"I'm very adventurous!" The Doctor tilted his chin up, chest puffed out. "As adventurous as they come!"

"And come they do!" Lisabet laughed.

"What?"

"John? She means in bed," Rose said, stifling the chuckles bubbling in her chest.

"In bed? Oh, in bed… Oh, in bed!" He smiled, looking upward, the tip of his ears tinted pink. "Well… Did someone say opening presents?"

* * *

.

* * *

Once they'd indulged the children by playing their parts as elves and handing out gifts, thanked their hosts yet again for the meal, and left the blue house with the white roof and red door, the sky had grown dark and the city quiet. Rose gasped as she took in their surroundings, gawking at the twinkling Christmas lights wrapped around balconies, lampposts and trees, and high up above them from one roof to the other. Most of them shone in a soft yellow, but several cast off red, green, and blue lights, and a few in a colder white. Although the street had been busy earlier that day, it now lay calm with only a few stragglers left closing up shops or moving in and out of noisy taverns.

"Oh, it's gorgeous," she said. "I was so drunk last time I didn't even notice!"

"You were? I was so drunk I didn't even notice that."

"Yeah, god, you were _ridiculous_! And that beard!"

He squeezed her hand inside their shared mitten. "Dunno. Quite liked that beard."

"Yeah? Maybe you should take one of those mints, then."

"Nah. Don't want to hide this handsome face," he said, rubbing his jaw.

She laughed. "Yeah. That would be a shame. And you know what else is a shame?"

"What?"

"That train!" She pouted. "I wanted to ride the train."

"Oh, we can still do that! This is one of the biggest tourist cities in this galaxy! It never sleeps, and the trains never stop."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah! C'mon!"

He grinned and darted off, pulling her along behind him, sliding here and there as they hit a slippery patch of snow covered ice, laughing as they stumbled. It took them only ten minutes to reach the platform and they leaned against one another as their hearts slowed down and breathing returned to normal.

"Want that hot chocolate, then?" he asked.

"Eugh, no ta. I'm bursting! Lisabet sure could cook, though, couldn't she?"

"Yeah." The Doctor rocked on his heels, staring out at the empty tracks and at the few passengers waiting farther away on the platform. "Most people go into town at this hour. Suppose they're shopkeepers going home to their families. Will be a quiet trip. Not so quiet on the way back, though. This is where you kissed me, by the way."

"Yeah." She nodded, then froze. "What? What did you say?"

He looked up. "Seems like they hang it here every year. Or, I say 'every year', but I don't really know, do I? Done it twice, anyway, and I think it's fair to assume that they do it other years as well. Wouldn't you agree?" He turned to her, warm eyes meeting hers, mouth quirked up in an imperceptible smile.

"Uhm… Yeah, makes sense." She nodded again, licking her lips and looking down the tracks.

"Why did you?"

Her mouth fell open, a high pitched but faint noise escaping her throat. "Dunno. Tradition?"

"Hm."

"I won't do it now, though. Don't worry."

He didn't answer, only stared out into the darkness lit up by lights and lanterns, his grip around her hand loosening, but not letting go. Her eyes flitted between his tense face and the mistletoe hanging over their heads; a mistletoe hanging so high up, she never would've noticed it unless he'd pointed it out. She smiled, fluttering growing in the pit of her stomach.

"Doctor?"

"Yeah," he said, voice quiet, eyes still not meeting hers.

"Can you look at me, please? You don't have a beard I can use this time."

He turned to her, brow furrowed. "What?"

Rising on tiptoes, she cupped his cheeks and brought his mouth down to hers. She let her lips part as she pressed them to his, sucking on his bottom lip instead of giving him the same kind of the dry, close-mouthed kiss as last time.

He froze.

She pulled back with a sharp intake of breath, lips, tongue and voice not cooperating as she tried to get out her apology. Clenching her hands and staring down at their feet, she shook her head and tried again. "I'm so sorry. I thought-I thought– I read you wrong. I–"

His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her close and ducking his head in search of her lips, swallowing her gasp as she angled her head up and pressed her mouth to his. His embrace tightened, holding her upright as she balanced on her toes. Warmth flooded through her, stomach swooping and heart racing, her fingers gliding up his arms until she reached his head. She raked her nails up the back of it, over the top, giving his hair a few gentle tugs before linking her arms around his neck. He whimpered and she smiled, returning her hands to his scalp, chuckling into his mouth as he hummed out his contentment.

When they broke apart, she gazed at him, feeling breathless and stunned, beaming at the glazed-over look in his eyes, his unruly hair, and the soft smile playing on his lips.

Her tongue, still tingling, peeked out between her teeth. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

He shook his head.

She chuckled, cheeks heating up as she noticed the now empty platform. "I think we missed the train. Didn't even hear it."

"Me neither."

"Wanna wait for the next one?"

"Not at all."

"Wanna go back to the TARDIS and…?"

"And?"

"Dunno." She shrugged, biting her lip. "Suppose, I could make sure you never forget that I'm a gymnast ever again. How's that?"

He squeaked, then cleared his throat. "Yep. Could do that."

She slid her hand into their mitten, entwining their fingers and walking home to the TARDIS through the cold winter night, making many stops along the way, pressing up one another against the colourful facades, kissing each other breathless.

* * *

**the end**


End file.
